Ranking the 10 best moments of the 2021/22 Ashes series

The 2021/22 Ashes series has come and gone, with Australia retaining the Urn with utter dominance to the tune of four wins to England's nil. Across the course of the five Test matches, both team and individual stories were scripted, with highlights arising in the most enthralling fashion. Whether it be runs with the bat, a stunning bowling attack, or the emotional background that is tied to those that competed this summer, the Ashes provided plenty of moments to be cherished forever. With this in mind, we take a look at the top 10 highlights of the Ashes series from this summer. Michael Neser's first Test wicket Michael Neser's Ashes summer was short-lived, however his debut was a memorable moment as the South Africa-born fast bowler became an instant fan favourite under the Adelaide Oval lights. Having gained the call-up into Justin langer's XI due to the absences of incumbents Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, Neser was looking to take his chance on the international stage at the age of 31. The Queensland representative was brought into the attack early into England's first innings of the day-night Test, with the tourists already having their backs to the wall. It took Neser just two balls to claim his maiden Test wicket for Australia, claiming the scalp of English opener Haseeb Hameed, who shovelled his shot to mid-wicket, with Mitch Starc doing the rest. https://twitter.com/cricketcomau/status/1471790723317972996 The wicket of Hameed was Neser's only for the first innings, before claiming a second in trapping Dawid Malan LBW in the second. Cummins' toe crusher on Mark Wood One of the balls of the five-Test series, and what a time to deliver it. With Australia needing four wickets for victory in the final stages of the fourth Test, the Aussie skipper stood up when it mattered most and planted a stunning yorker on English tailender Mark Wood. In what was Wood's second delivery, the pacey pom was unable to get bat to ball on Cummins' lethal 137.2 km/h yorker and was given his marching orders. https://twitter.com/FoxCricket/status/1480064323049295873 A review wasn't able to overturn the dismissal, with Cummins claiming a double-wicket maiden after the scalp of Jos Buttler two balls prior. Marvellous Marnus in Adelaide After failing to reach triple figures in the opening Test in Brisbane following his score of 74, Marnus Labuschange made no mistake in his second chance at the crease. After walking onto the field in just the seventh over of the Adelaide Test, Labuschagne was able to pair with opener David Warner to conjure a partnership of 172. The latter fell five runs short of a century, with Labuschagne looking to avoid the same fate and score his sixth Test century. https://www.instagram.com/p/CXkgXQqBa7S/ The Australian first-drop batsman amassed a score of 103 at Adelaide Oval and was able to back up his stellar knock with a further 51 runs to claim Player of the Match. The SCG finale The fourth Test exemplified just how good Test cricket is, with the result coming down to the wire. With Australia needing two wickets for victory in a race against the clock, Cummins was forced to hand over his final overs to Steve Smith to ensure Australia could have the greatest chance of having England all-out. With English pair Jack Leach and Stuart Broad at the crease and looking to defend their score until stumps, some Smith brilliance was conjured as Leach edged to first slip and into the lap of David Warner. https://twitter.com/7Cricket/status/1480083308734210053 The wicket brought Australia within one wicket of victory and James Anderson to the crease, with the veteran tailender needing to defend the final two overs alongside his partner-in-crime in Broad to reach a draw. Nathan Lyon delivered a scintillating next over to Broad, who was able to defend all six deliveries before turning the strike back to Anderson for the final over. A chance looked certain to be on the cusp, however Anderson was able to secure his wicket and England avoided an embarrassing whitewash away from home. Head crushes doubters with Brisbane ton With several Aussies looking to secure their place in Langer's XI for the summer ahead, middle-order batsman Travis Head was among those needing to make an early case for his place in the side. With the likes of Warner and Labuschagne able to build the foundations of Australia's first innings score of 425, South Australian Travis Head was the salient star of the match, recording 152 runs to send a clear message to Australian selectors. https://www.instagram.com/p/CXQVg_nJ5Kk/ Head brought up his century in just 80 balls and went on to claim Player of the Match for his efforts. Bairstow battles through injury to conjure century Highlights in the Englis camp came few and far between, however Jonny Bairstow's knock in Sydney was one the tourist will want to savour. With Australia having amassed a first innings score of 8d-416, England's backs were placed to the wall before they had even faced their first ball. With Bairstow arriving at the crease with his side placed at 4-36, the English gloveman was in need of chasing his first century in three years. A thumb injury looked certain to place the 32-year-old in some doubt of reaching the feat, but a gritty determination saw Bairstow bring up triple figures with just two balls remaining on day three of the Sydney Test. https://twitter.com/WisdenCricket/status/1480073333555318787 Bairstow ended his innings with 114 runs and pieced together a 128-run fifth-wicket partnership to aid England to their top score of the summer. The Yorkshire star's knock would be the tourist's only century of the series, with Bairstow ending his summer on a high note after being ruled out for the fifth and final test with his aforementioned hindrance. Head's stellar century in Tasmania If his first century wasn't enough, Travis Head was able to conjure an all-time Ashes ton to place Australia back into prime position i the fifth Test. With the hosting nation suddenly struck down to 3-12 thanks to the pairing of a lethal English attack and the Bellerive Oval wicket, Head was at the crease within the opening 10 overs of Australia's first innings. The No.5 batsman looked to be playing on a completely different pitch to his predecessors, recording a stunning strike rate to quickly bring up his half-century and a much-needed partnership with Marnus Labuschagne. With his partner falling at 4-83, all-rounder Cam Green stood up to aid the Aussies' defence and gave Head a platform to lead by example. https://twitter.com/cricketcomau/status/1482671743303286788 Amid the tough conditions, Head brought up his second century of the summer in his return from battling COVID-19 in what will be a memorable stint for the history books. The knock also ensured the South Australian batsman would claim Player of the Series following an unbelievable summer for his nation. Uzzie's twin tons in return to Test cricket What a statement this was. After going unselected for the first three Tests despite a strong start to his summer at Shield level, Usman Khawaja pieced together one of the all-time comeback stories. At 35 years of age, the Pakistan-born batsman was handed a fortunate call-up in Travis Head's absence, and didn't he deliver. The pure emotion of Khawaja's first ton in his return to the Australian setup was enough to unite all cricket tragics, with his second seen as an unbelievable feat for the veteran batsman. https://twitter.com/zerowicket/status/1479690388747464704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1479690388747464704%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fzerowicket.com%2Fpressure-mounts-on-harris-as-khawaja-surpasses-openers-runs-tally-with-second-century-18734%2F To make the occasion sweeter, Khawaja's pair of centuries were crucial to Australia's fourth Test win following disappointing scores among the top order. Summer of Scott as Boland records stellar debut 6/7. Is there much more that needs to be said? Scott Boland's debut on the international stage was unparalleled, with the Victorian bowler torturing England with perfect line nd length bowling. If the story of his first wicket in the opening innings of the MCG Test wasn't enough to place Boland No.2 on our list, then his stunning second innings rout of the Poms certainly was. [caption id="attachment_18386" align="alignnone" width="696"] MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 28: Scott Boland of Australia appeals successfully for LBW to dismiss Jonny Bairstow of England during day three of the Third Test match in the Ashes series between Australia and England at Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 28, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)[/caption] The ridiculous figures of 6/7 saw England quickly collapse on the third morning of the third Test, with the touring nation all out for a measly 68, with Australia not required to return to the crease. The spark that Boland provided saw the 32-year-old claim Player of the Match in front of his home crowd. He finished his summer with 18 wickets - the third-most in the series - at an average of 9.55 from his three matches to piece together one of the most remarkable bowling spells the game has seen. Starc's sizzling start to the summer The last highlight on our list funnily enough came in the very first delivery of the series. Both Australian and English fans had finally surpassed the build-up to the Ashes and the action was underway, with Joe Root winning the toss and opting to bat first. That decision was soon seen as a regretful one with what soon followed. Taking on the first ball of the day was England opener Rory Burns, who was set to front Australian pace bowler Mitchell Starc to kickstart the summer of cricket down under. The Gabba crowd were already on the edge of their seats for the first ball, and Starc soon had everyone on their feet. A late-swinging ball was perfectly placed on Burns' leg-stump, only for the Englishman to play and miss at the yorker and be dismissed for a golden duck. https://twitter.com/7Cricket/status/1468370691426820097 It was the perfect start for the Aussies and would kick off Starc's stunning series in Australia's attack, with the veteran fast bowler collecting a further 18 English scalps to finish second in the wickets column for the series.

Ranking the 10 best moments of the 2021/22 Ashes series

A memorable series, but which highlight stood above the rest?

6. Head crushes doubters with Brisbane ton

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